Alcindo Monteiro
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Alcindo Monteiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1, 1967 |
| Died | June 12, 1995 (aged 27) |
| Known for | Victim of a racially motivated murder |
Alcindo Bernardo Fortes Monteiro (1 October 1967 – 12 June 1995) was a Portuguese citizen who was murdered at the age of 27 in a racially motivated hate crime.[1][2]
On 1 October 2020, which would have been his 53rd birthday, the Lisbon City Council unveiled a commemorative plaque in his honor at Rua Garrett, the location where he was attacked.[3][4] The city described the plaque as a symbol of its commitment to fighting racism and intolerance.[5]
Biography
[edit | edit source]Alcindo Monteiro was born in Mindelo, Cape Verde, on 1 October 1967, the son of Bernardo and Francisca Monteiro.[1] He was one of seven children. In 1978, at the age of 11, Alcindo emigrated with his family to Portugal, settling in the neighborhood of Casquilhos in Barreiro.[1] He completed his mandatory military service in Beja as a cook. He enjoyed cooking and dancing and dreamed of becoming a hip hop or breakdance dancer.
Murder
[edit | edit source]On the night of 10 June 1995, Alcindo traveled from Barreiro to Lisbon to go dancing in the Bairro Alto.[1] He was intercepted and brutally beaten by a group of nationalist skinheads in the Chiado area after they had celebrated "Dia da Raça" ("Day of the Race"), a term used during the Portuguese Estado Novo regime to refer to Portugal Day.[6]
Monteiro was found unconscious on Rua Garrett, in front of the Gianni Versace store window, and taken to Hospital de São José along with nine other Black victims.[1] Actor João Lourenço made the emergency call.[7]
Medical reports indicated severe cranial injuries, internal bleeding, cerebral edema, and skull fractures.[1][2] He fell into a deep coma in the early hours of 11 June and died at 10:30 a.m. on 12 June 1995.[1]
Trial
[edit | edit source]The trial began on 31 January 1997, at the Monsanto Courthouse in Lisbon, presided over by Judge João Martinho.[1][8]
Seventeen individuals were charged with murder and assault (the charge of genocide was later dropped).[1] The main defendants included Mário Machado, Nuno Monteiro, Hugo Silva, Ricardo Abreu, José Paiva, and Tiago Palma.[9]
The sentences ranged from 16.5 to 18 years in prison for the primary aggressors.[10]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]Alcindo Monteiro's murder marked a turning point in public awareness of racial violence in Portugal. His name is frequently cited in anti-racist activism and has been memorialized in Lisbon as a symbol of resistance to hate crimes and institutional racism.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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